Page 98 - Forbes - Asia (December 2019 - January 2020)

Recipe for
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Resilience
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PichaEats is helping refugees in Malaysia put food

on their tables by putting food on yours.

BY PAMELA AMBLER

corching oil glistens in a wok in Naeem’s home kitchen
on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Dressed in hijab,
she chops at a pile of onions, parsley and garlic to mix
Sinto falafel balls as her 2-year-old tugs at her apron,
squalling for attention. She has just filled an order of more
than a dozen chicken gulai she started preparing at dawn.
Naeem earns roughly 2,000 ringgit ($480) a month sell-
ing food to PichaEats, a Malaysian social enterprise, while
awaiting resettlement after fleeing with her family of four
to Malaysia from Syria six years ago. PichaEats aims to pro-
vide work to some of the 177,800 refugees and asylum-seek-
ers like Naeem (a pseudonym—her real name has been with-
held at the company’s request) registered in Malaysia by the
UN refugee agency, the UNHCR. PichaEats will soon deliver
Naeem’s food to diners around Kuala Lumpur.
Since starting the company in 2016, PichaEats’ three Preparing food for PichaEats.
founders, Lee Swee Lin, Lim Yuet Kim and Sook Shian “Su-
zanne” Ling have served 130,000 meals prepared by 100 in- will benefit a marginalized community,” says David Lim, head
dividuals from 20 refugee families, generating 3.5 million of social entrepreneurship development at MaGIC, which has
ringgit in sales and earning them a spot last year on the 30 become a PichaEats customer.
Under 30 Asia list. Lee says the company has a profit margin PichaEats splits its sales evenly with its chefs. But it can’t
of roughly 12%, though there are months when they barely hire them. On paper, refugees like Naeem have no lawful
break even. “The balance between profit and charity is always way to earn a livelihood in Malaysia. “Malaysia is not a state
very tough,” says Lim, who is PichaEats’ CEO. party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not have an
Lim and her two cofounders came up with the idea for asylum system in place to process and regulate the status and
PichaEats as university students six years ago, while working rights of refugees,” says Maja Lazic, deputy representative
as volunteers teaching refugee children. A couple of years of UNHCR, in an email response. “As a result, refugees are
into what started as an extracurricular activity, PichaEats’ considered illegal migrants.”
founders noticed that their pupils tended to drop out at about While Malaysian law doesn’t allow for them to stay, they
age 13 to work in night markets or care for younger siblings. favor the country because of its relatively lenient visa policy
Determined to help keep them in school, they reached out and because it is predominantly Muslim. Most try to register
to one of the refugee mothers, a Burmese woman whose son with the UNHCR upon arrival. “They stand a risk of getting
was named Picha, and suggested selling home-cooked meals deported, but they are recognized as refugees internationally,”
to their university friends. The Picha Project was born. The says Ling. “Having refugee status means you’re on a list of
three women kept it going after graduating in 2014 and, to being selected to get resettled to a new country. But the
ensure it would be self-sustaining, turned it in 2016 into chances that will happen is less than 1%.”
a for-profit, Picha Sdn. Bhd., which uses the brand name So PichaEats doesn’t employ refugees. “We purchase the
PichaEats. Shareholding was split equally between the three. food from the families, and we package, market the food for
PichaEats soon received a grant of 30,000 ringgit from the sale,” says Lee as her cofounder Lim applies labels with Chef JOSHUA PAUL FOR FORBES ASIA
Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre, or MaGIC, Naeem’s story to each meal box in her dining room. Today,
a government-sponsored program to encourage social enter- 70% of PichaEats’ business is in catering, 25% delivery, and
prises. “We have in mind the ultimate impact that our order 5% what its founders call experiences, where people can learn

94 | FORBES ASIA DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020